Create Time Management Goals
Remember, we cannot change time, so the focus of time management is actually changing your behaviors. You already have a good start by discovering how you've been wasting time. Now we have to take that information and turn it into actual goals. Those goals need to be specific if you have any chance of accomplishing them.
A specific goal is a goal that incorporates an action plan that outlines how you will achieve the goal, and a performance measure that tells you how to evaluate the goal. This is the goal setting formula to ensure that you are setting a specific goal:
'I will (goal + performance measure) BY (specific actions).'
The performance measure is often the date or length of time, but it could be any objective criteria that you can use to determine whether or not you have accomplished the specific goal that you have set. For instance, if your daily activity tracking showed that you wasted a lot of time with personal phone calls, you might set a specific goal thus:
'I will recapture time for one week BY not taking any personal phone calls while working.'
Specific goal setting is not only for your business tasks. Nor do goals need to be measured by the health of your bank account. They are about what success in life really means to you; what you really want to accomplish, no matter how outlandish it seems at first thought. I personally think that success means enjoying what you do, that your work energizes you and creates an enjoyment that spills over to your personal life.
So, what does 'increased business success' mean to you? If it is working less hours so that you have more time with your family, then your specific goal might be:
'I will spend entire weekends with my family one month from now BY reorganizing my work schedule and learning how to delegate.'
Perhaps success to you means developing more confidence so you can do a better job of selling your product or service or trying something new. Your specific goal might be:
'I will develop enough confidence to give my presentation to the business group BY practice giving it in front of a mirror until I feel comfortable.'
Goal setting does not have to be only huge changes to your life. Even small goals are worth working on, as they can lead to much bigger changes. Something as small as, 'I will work three hours less a week BY becoming better organized', can produce amazing results.